Getty Drive-In Theater to convert to digital projection, opens for the season

Charles Palmer, of Muskegon, loads movie film in a projector before dusk at the Getty Drive-In on June 14, 2001. The 35 mm system, shown above, will be replaced by a digital one, according to the drive-in's general manager.

The 35 mm film projectors at the four-screen theater, which is part of the Celebration Cinema theater chain, will be replaced by digital models sometime within the next year, he said. Sims wasn't sure of the exact date of the conversion, but he said it could happen as early as June.

"Once we've gone digital, we'll be one of the few drive-ins that have gone digital," he said.

Movie theaters across the country have converted to the digital system recently, since studios like 20th Century Fox have announced that they will phase out 35 mm film by the end of the year.

Drive-in theaters, however, have been slow to make the switch, Sims said. The problem, he said, is cost.

Many of the nearly 400 remaining drive-ins across the country are mom-'n'-pop establishments and the move to digital, which can cost up to $100,000 a projector, can be an expensive one.

"Luckily, we have a great company that backs the drive-in," Sims said.

The new digital system is easier to operate than film, Sims said, and will project higher-quality images. In addition, it will also give the theater more flexibility in deciding what movies to show at the theater, since films are more readily available in the digital format than in film.

The new projectors won't affect the prices of the drive-in, which opened for the season on April 26. Tickets will still be $9 for adults and $5 for seniors and children who are 6 to 12 years old, Sims said. Children under 5 years will be admitted for free.

The drive-in's lineup for the weekend is "The Croods" with "Oz: The Great and Powerful"; "Evil Dead" with "The Call"; "Pain and Gain" with "G.I. Joe: Retaliation"; and "Identity Thief" with Silver Linings Playbook." All movies start at dusk.